


My Sweet Treat

by space_angel



Category: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Post Series, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 20:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/space_angel/pseuds/space_angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gau is an orphan in both the Nabari and Surface worlds. Homeless. He knows that, but why did the one person he loves more than anyone have to go and bring it up?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Iced Animal Cookies Are...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was eating Stauffer Iced Animal Cookies when I wrote this. They were delicious.~

Gau was at work when it first started. Raikou came in, which wasn’t terribly unusual, and sat in a chair behind the counter. He would never stay long, and it was especially slow, so there would be few people to gossip about. As such, Gau figured he’d be gone within the hour. So when three hours had gone by and only a handful of customers had come, Gau was beginning to get suspicious. Well, maybe he wasn’t really suspicious so much as annoyed.

                Raikou had a bright pink bag in his hands, and was pulling out some kind crackers and eating them one after the other. The crunching in the quiet store was starting to grind on his nerves. He didn’t normally have a short temper with Raikou, and really one couldn’t call getting a little peeved after three hours of this torment ‘short tempered.’ Also, there were a lot of crumbs. Finally, the bag was empty though, so Gau thought he’d get some peace. That is, until the older man pulled a second bag out of his satchel.

                He’d been too busy trying to look busy to see what it was Raikou was eating, but now Gau stormed up to him and snatched the bag out of his hands, “What are you eating?” He turned the bag around to face him, but what he saw stopped him short, “Stauf…. An Coo I….” He turned to Raikou, “What’s it say? I don't know much English.”

                “They’re iced cookies shaped like animals,” he snatched the bag back. “Juuji gave them to me.”

                “Juuji?”

                “Yeah, she has a pen pal in America who sent them to her, but she hates sweets.”

                “When did you see Juuji?”

                “When Raimei and I went to talk to Saraba about the rebuilding of the Shimizu house.”

                “What? You went without me?”

                “Well, we didn’t know how we would be received. I didn’t want you in danger again, Gau.”

                Gau blushed and looked away, “Still, I wish you would have told me you were going. What if something had happened to you?”

                “If I had told you, you just would have followed us. Besides, it went well. The Fuuma are going to help pay for the rebuilding of the actual house on the old Shimizu property.”

                “That’s great! Do you want it to be rebuilt the same as the original? I have the blueprints.”

                “No, it’s going to be pink,” Gau almost laughed, but Raikou’s face was like stone.

                “No,” Gau said. Raikou raised an eyebrow and, tearing open the new bag, took a cookie out and popped it into his mouth, crunching extra loud.

                “Pink,” Raikou said firmly.

                Gau reached out for a cookie, not because he wanted one (really!), but just to spite Raikou. He was too quick though, moving the bag away and using his longer arm length to hold Gau back. Clearing his throat, Gau stopped struggling and moved as though to get back to work. Raikou wasn’t having it though. He crunched even louder, but Gau was determined.

                Finally, pouting that he had once again lost Gau’s attention, Raikou threw an animal cookie at him. It bounced off Gau’s head and landed on the floor. Gau stared at it for a moment before kneeling down and picking up the cookie. He met Raikou’s gaze and held it before bringing it up to his mouth and blowing on it. Raikou swallowed hard, though Gau was pretty sure he hadn’t eaten another cookie.

                Smirking, Gau put the cookie to his lips and let his tongue dart out, licking the iced side. His gaze didn’t waiver, holding Raikou’s. He stuck one end of the cookie into his mouth, gently nibbling it a little. Finally, he slowly slid it into his mouth, moving it around, savoring the flavor, before finally biting down with a loud crunch. The noise made Raikou jump a little, and Gau smirked. Blushing, Raikou looked away first.

                Gau’s smile softened. He knew how much Raikou hated going to the Fuuma to ask for their help as a Shimizu, and that he worried it would compromise their ability to act without bias in the future. He also knew Raikou was feeling guilty about not telling him that he was going to see the Fuuma. On all fours, Gau crawled till he was in front of Raikou’s chair, “Permission to have an audience with the Lord Shimizu.”

                “Gau!” Raikou said, startled. “You know you don’t have to ask for something like that.”

                Smiling, Gau crawled the rest of the way forward until he could rest his arms atop Raikou’s legs, setting his head on top of them and looking up at him, “Can I have another cookie, my lord?”

                Raikou seemed like he would protest, probably Gau calling him lord, but just smiled and shook his head. He reached into the bag and pulled out a cookie. Gau opened his mouth and Raikou put it in, letting a finger run along his bottom lip as he did so. Munching quietly, Gau watched Raikou eat a few more cookies before saying, “Are you really going to paint the house pink?”

                “Of course,” Raikou said.

                “I don’t think Shinobi are going to take anyone who lives in that house seriously if you do, Raikou.”

                “So? It’s not your house.” Gau startled and Raikou froze. Immediately, Raikou tried to backtrack, “Gau, I didn’t mean-” Gau let his arms slide off of Raikou’s lap and made as though to stand, but Raikou’s hand held him firm, “Gau, please let me explain.”

                “Explain? There’s nothing to explain. I’m not a Shimizu, so you’re right, it’s not my home. I haven’t had one of those since before I came to the Nabari world.”

                Hands reached out and framed his face, forcing Gau to meet Raikou’s eyes, “You’re right, there is nothing to explain. That was completely and utterly wrong of me to say, Gau. The only thing that can be done is to apologize. I’m sorry, Gau. Really, I truly am. So long as I’m alive, you will always have a home with me, if you want it.”

                Gau let the barriers that had immediately gone up around his heart at Raikou’s unintentionally hurtful words fall, and tears sprang to his eyes. He grabbed Raikou around the waist, burying his face into his chest as he cried. Raikou ran his hands up and down Gau’s back until he had calmed. He heard Raikou take in a breath, knew that he was getting ready to speak, when the chime on the door rang.

                Jumping to his feet, Gau wiped his face quickly and went up to the counter. The customer was an elderly woman who was hard of hearing. It took Gau fifteen minutes to help her find what she was looking for and finally see her off. Meanwhile, Raikou had sat quietly. Gau, once again behind the counter, turned to find Raikou standing in front of him. The samurai put one hand against the counter and leaned into Gau’s space, and put a cookie to his lips with the other. He watched Gau as he chewed slowly and swallowed, before leaning in and sealing his lips over Gau’s.

                Raikou pulled away too soon for Gau’s liking, but when he tried to follow the taller man’s lips with his own, Raikou held him back. His eyes were intense, his face serious, when he met Gau’s gaze, “You are a Shimizu, Gau, and I’m going to prove it to you.” With that, Raikou left the store.


	2. The Stuff of Samurai Legend

Gau was diligent in his duties the rest of the day, but wasn’t his usual cheerful self. Finally, he closed up the shop, and started back towards the apartment he, Raikou, and Raimei were currently sharing. When he was standing outside their door, suddenly there were hands over his eyes. His first instinct was to struggle, but the grip was tight, and then Raimei’s voice was in his ear, “It’s unlocked, just open it.”

                “What’s going on?”

                “Don’t you trust me?”

                Gau sighed. There was no way he was getting out of whatever was waiting for him on the other side. He opened the door, and Raimei guided him forward a few more steps before removing her hands. When he opened his eyes, he saw that their living was darkened, but with many candles lit throughout. Raikou stood in front of him, looking unusually somber.

                “Raikou?”

                Raikou ignored him, “Raimei, bring it here.” Raimei moved over to the couch and picked up something long and thin, covered in cloth. Gau’s heart beat faster, not out of fear for his safety, but just from the sight of a sword. Once, he had even jumped numerous feet out of the way when a student had been running at him holding an umbrella by the handle, the cloth portion only partially visible. The incident had earned him some strange looks, and he had been glad that no one else was there to see.

                Handing it to him, Raimei stood back, looking on, also unusually somber. Raikou lifted the short parcel easily, undoing the cloth around it and letting it fall to the floor. Sure enough, it was a katana. It was shorter and smaller than Raikou’s and Raimei’s, but Gau knew.

Raikou lifted the sheathed blade and held it out before Gau, “I give you this blade, Gau Meguro, and hereby adopt you as one of the Shimizu. If you will accept it, you shall be a samurai tasked with upholding the balance between the Narabi and the Surface worlds.”

His hands shook as he reached out and took the blade, finding it lighter than he had anticipated after holding the other Shimizu swords. When he spoke, his voice almost waivered, “I accept it.”

“Then you will begin training tomorrow as a Shimizu, to master our ways,” Raikou said, and with that, turned and marched back into his bedroom.

Moments later, Raimei turned the lights on, then began to blow out the candles. Without a word, Gau helped, blowing them out one by one, until finally they stood side by side in the smoky room. Raimei turned and grinned at him, “I don’t know how good you’ll be with a sword, but I’m glad you’re one of us, Gau. That sword is special, you know, the one Raikou gave you. It was his before he was given Shirogamon.”

Gau looked down at it. It was simple, the black sheath well-worn, its only adornment a white winding stripe that created numerous figure-eight’s, over and over, down its length. The handle was textured to create a better grip, but was also worn, as though it had been used for hours in practice. He smiled at Raimei, “Thank you.” She gave him a thumbs up before going into her own room.

Making his way back to Raikou’s room, which was basically both his and Gau’s room since they were both in there most nights, Gau entered and closed the door behind him. Raikou sat on the bed, having changed into pajamas pants, leaving his torso exposed. He was covered with scars, and though he’d seen it numerous times, the sight still brought tears to his eyes.

“It was the only thing I could think of to prove to you that I wanted you to be a part of the Shimizu,” Raikou said without looking at him.

Gau set the sword down carefully on their dresser before kneeling down and opening the drawer he kept his shirts in. He hid things there sometimes, since Raikou would rarely get in there since they didn’t wear the same size. Pulling out a small box, neatly wrapped, he went and stood in front of Raikou and waited for the man to look at him. When he finally did, he started to unwrap the box, “Your birthday is coming up. This was your present.” Raikou looked like he was going to speak, but Gau held up his hand to stop him.

When all the paper was on the floor, Gau held the box out in front of Raikou. Kneeling, he opened it. Inside was a small hair clip, on which there was a beautiful likeness of a Lycoris that shone in the light, and bright red in color. It was so well crafted that it looked as though it might be real, the actual thing carefully attached. Gau picked up Raikou’s hand and placed the box in it, “Raikou Shimizu, will you marry me?”

Raikou let his finger float over the flower’s surface, marveling at its beauty, and his voice was choked when he spoke, “Yes, Gau.”

Gau smiled, and without waiting for Raikou to recover, he leaned forward and kissed him, pressing their mouths together hard. He could feel tears when he cupped Raikou’s face, but didn’t part them. No, they would never be parted again. From then on, he would be a Shimizu, in both the Nabari world as a samurai and the Surface world as a husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Lycoris were the corpse flowers that grew on the Shimizu property that Raikou was so fond of.


End file.
